Posted in: Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Movies, Preview, TV | Tagged: Adult Swim, horror, preview, Yule Log
Adult Swim Yule Log Takes Twisted Turn Into Casper Kelly Horror Film
With Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland's Rick and Morty wrapping up its sixth season tonight, millions of viewers were left with one less distraction from the mind-blowing stress of the holidays. So when we heard that Cartoon Network's late-night programming block had the Adult Swim Yule Log set to run immediately following, it made perfect sense. I mean, what better way to slide into the start of three weeks of holiday sales, year-end lists, and resolutions destined to fail by February 1st than with a little crackling solitude that didn't require us to change the channel? But then… things took a turn. Our festive yule log that was crackling from the fire and the holiday music that was adding to the glow slowly… went away. And then we realized… this is Adult Swim! Have we not learned from April Fool's Day? Because our Adult Swim Yule Log suddenly became… The Fireplace, a live-action horror feature written & directed by Casper Kelly (Too Many Cooks; co-creator, Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell) and starring Andrea Laing (The Game) & Justin Miles (Half Baked 2).
Filmed in Adult Swim's hometown of Atlanta and utilizing local talent from the area, the only thing we know about the feature is the following logline: "Get in the holiday spirit with this cozy, crackling fire" (yeah, we know, not much to work with). The version of The Fireplace that dropped on Adult Swim is a censored surprise for viewers, with an uncensored version of the feature hitting HBO Max on Monday, December 12th. That's important because the film comes with a heads-up about violence, adult language, and some brief nudity. Here's a look back at the original promo… how did we not see it coming?
So if you're watching tonight with your little ones, make sure to cover their eyes and ears. Or even better, maybe get them to bed because it's late, and we're guessing that a horror film from the genius behind Too Many Cooks isn't going to be offering us the same old, same old when it comes to some truly freaky s**t. And without giving too much away? The opening minutes offer the right mix of bare minimum visuals and high levels of "audio horror" to keep you watching (even when you want to watch from between your fingers). You won't look at a yule log the same way ever again. And speaking of that classic "Infomercials" episode…